Got any of these old video games lying around? You could be sitting on nearly £30,000

Some buyers are willing to pay tens of thousands for rare copies of games from the 1980s

By Becky Pemberton

18th July 2017, 1:48 pm

Updated: 19th July 2017, 5:48 am

DO you have old video games stashed away in the attic or in a cupboard? You could be sitting on a small fortune.

Some buyers are willing to pay tens of thousands for rare copies of games from the 1980s, especially if there were only a few in existence.

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Are you a fan of video games? Your copies could be worth a fortune

Old Atari, NES and Sega Mega Drive game consoles could be worth a lot more than you think, according to statistics recently released by Safestore.

While many people trade in their games for a quick buck, early games can be worth in the five figures.

Here are some of the most valuable games that could earn you a large sum instead of gathering dust in your old collection...

Gamma Attack (Atari 2600)

Original price in 1983 - £15

Value today – £38,400

When this game went up on eBay, many hailed it as the one of the rarest video games on the site.

YouTube

Gamma Attack (Atari 2600) is estimated to be worth around £38,400

In fact, eBay user Phantom claimed to MTV he was the "first one to list it on eBay, and I personally get a kick out of that".

According to the seller, five people made genuine enquires about the game, despite the hefty price tag.

Despite this large listing on eBay, Racketboy estimates its worth is closer to £38,400.

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Stadium Events (NES)

Original price in 1987 - £40

Value today - £26,981

Back in 2015, a factory-sealed copy of the 1987 Nintendo video game Stadium Events sold for over £23,000 on eBay.

The game is the English version of the Japanese Running Stadium, which was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System console.

Much of the rarity stems from the fact it was released on a "fitness pad" accessory that was discontinued and its games pulled from shelves.

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Stadium Events (NES) was released on a 'fitness pad' accessory that was discontinued so is extremely rare

Birthday Mania (Ataria 2600)

Original price in 1986 - £40

Value today - £26,887

Birthday Mania is one of the rarest games of all time, as there is only one known copy in existence.

The sought-after game allows players to play mini games including ones involving popping balloons and blowing out candles - in keeping with the birthday theme.

The box has a section for you to personalise it with a birthday message.

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There is only one known copy of Birthday Mania (Ataria 2600) making it cost an estimated £26,887

Air Raid (Atari 2600)

Original price in 1986 - £40

Value today - £25,657

Another Atari gem is the Air Raid game, which has a distinctive cartridge with a blue T-shaped handle.

The game revolves around protecting a city from an alien invasion.

Only two copies are known to exist in their original box, one of which sold for £24,278 ($31,600) in April 2010 and the other for £10,756 ($14,000) in 2012, but complete copies with the manual could sell for more.

EBay

A copy of Air Raid (Atari 2600) sold for £24,278 back in April 2010 and could be worth more now

Super Mario Bros. Asian Cover (NES)

Price in 1986 - £40

Value today - £27,100

The Asian version of Super Mario Bros. can fetch you a big sum in auction, especially ones that are capable of being displayed in Cantonese.

In November 2012, a copy of this game sold on eBay for a whopping £19,207 ($25,000).

gamesbase.com

The Super Mario Bros. Asian Cover (NES) has sold for a whopping £19,207 in the past on eBay

Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition (NES)

Price in 1986 - £40

Value today - £27,100

The reason why this game is so expensive is largely to do with why the edition was created.

The Gold editions of this game were sent out to winners of a promotional contest in the Nintendo Power magazine.

Only 26 were produced so sell for a large amounts online.

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Only 26 copies of Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition (NES) were thought to have been produced

Nintendo Campus Challenge (NES)

Price in 1986 - £40

Value today - £15,438

The Nintendo Campus Challenge was created by Nintendo for a video game contest in colleges in the US.

Each cartridge had three games on them, Super Mario 3, PinBot, and Dr. Mario and they had to be completed in a time limit of about six minutes.

After the challenge, the games were supposed to be destroyed but at least one copy has been found in a car boot sale in the past.

highscore.com

All copies of the Nintendo Campus Challenge (NES) were supposed to be destroyed, but at least one has been found over the years

Atlantis II (Ataria 2600)

Price in 1986 - £40

Value today - £13,825

In this Ataria offering, players are able to protect the city of Atlantis from spaceships.

The game was handed out to high-scorers of the "Defend Atlantis" competition, which saw gaming enthusiasts compete for prize money.

It is estimated they are worth over £13,000.

YouTube / Retro Play

The Atlantis II (Ataria 2600) is estimated to cost £13,825, a whole lot more than its £40 value in 1986

Tetris (Sega Mega Drive)

Price in 1986 - £40

Value today - £12,289

There an estimated ten copies of Tetris for Sega Genesis in existence today so could see you land a large sum on eBay if you have one.

The reason for the high cost is that Sega Genesis never released a Tetris game due to Nintendo's rights on the game, but Tetris creator Alexey Pajintnov confirmed a number exist anyway.

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It is thought that there are just ten copies of Tetris (Sega Mega Drive)